OK, so I took a little liberty with the Hank Williams song - but I was in the right city for the
sentiment.

Travelers don't need an excuse to visit the Music City, but Columbus Blue Jackets fans have a
couple, anyway, with games scheduled Feb. 27 and April 8 against the Nashville Predators.

I visited early this month, catching a Jan. 2 game at Bridgestone Arena in downtown Nashville.
The Jackets lost, yet again, to their NHL archrivals in a 4-1 boot- - excuse me -
skate-stompin'.

The hockey game, though, was really just icing (pun intended) on the cake. By the time my visit
ended, I'd put the butt-whuppin' in the rearview mirror of my heart, my memories of Dixie as warm
as a belly full of George Dickel whiskey.

Does it sound as if I'm making fun of the music that made Nashville famous? Maybe I am, a
little. But it's affectionate fun - inspired, I suppose, by the hilarious Doyle and Debbie Show,
which plays most Tuesday nights at the Station Inn downtown.

I took in the show at the direct recommendation of Mayor Karl Dean, who has attended several
times himself.

Doyle and Debbie (as portrayed by Bruce Arntson and Jenny Littleton) are archetypical characters
- Doyle, the washed-up, Dickel-drinking former star; Debbie, the young, unwed mother with a golden
voice newly discovered while working at a VFW hall. (Littleton is Doyle's third "Debbie.")

The songs, written mostly by Arntson, have hilarious titles, the best of which can't be printed
in a family newspaper. And the lyrics are about 10 times as funny and clever as the titles.

Several reviewers have compared them to a country
Spinal Tap. But Doyle and Debbie turn it up to
12, providing far more belly-laughs than does the movie's faux metal band - at least to
fans who are steeped in the conventions of country music that D&D so lovingly tear to shreds.
Doyle and Debbie have turned the show into a cult hit in the three years they've been packing
crowds into the tiny Station Inn. Arntson and Littleton display real musicianship, twisted though
it is in the service of satire.

I also enjoyed plenty of
real country music during my stay.

After I'd had my fill of hockey (beating the happy, pro-Nashville crowd out of the arena by at
least one period), I wandered the downtown honky-tonk district of Lower Broadway, ducking inside
anytime I heard an intriguing sound - which was often.

There's usually no cover charge, but you'll have to buy at least one drink at each stop to
justify taking up a table. And then there's the musicians' tip buckets.

My suggestion: Forget the tip and instead buy one of the CDs the band surely has for sale at the
foot of the stage. The band will be just as happy, and you'll get some good music and a nice
souvenir to take home.

Bopping in and out of a lot of venues is fun but can get pricey. It's cheaper, and probably more
satisfying, to find one good band and settle in. Fortunately, finding a good band is easy.

"The acts playing there in those little bars would be headliners in most other cities," said
Greg Torrance, a rare Blue Jackets fan I located at the hockey game. Torrance lived in Columbus for
decades before his job took him to Nashville.

Fellow Ohioans, he said, shouldn't miss the fun that the city has to offer, especially at the
downtown music venues.

"They can come down and make a great weekend out of it."

Leah Cook and Jason Storey, Dublin residents who had driven down for the Jackets game, said they
love the atmosphere, restaurants and honky-tonks just outside Bridgestone Arena.

"That whole strip is great," Storey said.

Of course, visitors who want to see country superstars won't be disappointed, either. The Grand
Ole Opry House, which was severely damaged by floods in May, is open again, as is the Country Music
Hall of Fame.

The Opry offers several shows a week featuring the royalty of country music, as well as
backstage tours daily. (Who knows how much longer fans will be able to enjoy Little Jimmy Dickens,
who became a permanent member of the Opry in 1949 and continues to perform at age 90.)

Country royalty is always honored at the Country Music Hall of Fame, with displays examining all
aspects of country-western music as well as an extensive collection of mementos.

The hall also offers plenty of music and videos to explore. Although the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame in Cleveland still sets the standard for hall-of-fame experiences, the Country Music Hall of
Fame certainly isn't far behind - especially if you prefer Tammy Wynette to Chrissie Hynde.

As a bluegrass fan, I was taken by legend Bill Monroe's Gibson F5 mandolin, perhaps the most
famous mandolin ever played. (I was also tickled seeing Monroe's personal Bible, which still
sports, as a bookmark, the joker from a deck of cards.)

Although music rightly dominates the visitors' scene, Nashville offers a lot more for travelers
to enjoy.

History buffs will find plenty of interesting sites in or near Tennessee's capital.

One of the best is the Hermitage, the home of President Andrew Jackson, one of the most complex
men - with one of the most complex legacies - ever to hold the office. Besides a tour of his
restored home, visitors can explore a small museum with Jackson memorabilia and wander the
extensive grounds, which include former slave cabins, the simple log cabin that was the first
"Hermitage" and the tomb of Jackson and his wife.

Also well worth a visit is the Tennessee Capitol, completed in 1859. The building sits on the
highest point of downtown Nashville with a commanding view of the surroundings, which came in handy
when it was used as a fortification by Union troops who had seized the city during the Civil
War.

As befitting any great tourist town, Nashville also has a plethora of fine lodging and dining
options. One of the best is the Gaylord Opryland Hotel, adjacent to the Grand Ole Opry House a few
miles northwest of downtown.

The first time I stayed at the Opryland Hotel - a gargantuan complex with many restaurants,
shops and entertainment venues enclosed under a vast, glasshouselike roof - I thought the place
over-the-top.

But after many years of travels, I've come to appreciate its attention to details and the
quality of the overall Opryland experience. Yes, the indoor river, complete with riverboat tour,
might seem a bit much. But the vast, conservatorylike spaces appeal to the garden lover in me. And
the restaurants and pubs are top-notch.

So don't be bashful.

Come to Nashville.

sstephens@dispatch.com

If you go

NASHVILLE, TENN.

The capital of Tennessee is known as "Music City" for good reason. But visitors will also find
history, spectator sports, art and a variety of great restaurants and lodging options.

HEARING THE MUSIC

Nashville is home to the Grand Ole Opry - the world's longest running radio program, the
historic Ryman Auditorium - which opened in 1892 and is called the "Mother Church of Country
Music," the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and many music festivals and events.

Nashville is also home to dozens of small venues that feature stars and wannabes in intimate,
traditional settings.

For more information on the Opry, call 615-871-6779 or visit www.opry.com.

For information on Ryman Auditorium, call 615-889-3060 or visit www.ryman.com.

Call the Country Music Hall of Fame at 615-416-2001 or visit www.countrymusichalloffame.
org.

For information on some of the honky-tonks in Nashville's Lower Broadway district, visit
www.honkytonkrow.com.

Visitors who enjoy country music and raucous parody should consider the Doyle and Debbie Show,
performed most nights at the Station Inn Visit www.stationinn.com or www.doyleanddebbie.com.

EXPLORING THE HISTORY

Nashville has played a pivotal role in American history as home to presidents Andrew Jackson and
James K. Polk and as a central point of contention in the Civil War.

• The Hermitage, Jackson's plantation just east of the city, is now a museum operated by a
private foundation. Call 615-889-2941 or visit www.thehermitage.com.

• The Tennessee Capitol, completed in 1859, played a prominent role in the Battle of Nashville
during the Civil War and is the site of the tomb of President Polk and his wife, Sarah. Free guided
tours are available most days. Call 615-741-0830 or visit
www.capitol.tn.gov/about/capitolvisit.html.

SEEING THE HOCKEY

The Nashville Predators play in the same NHL division as the Columbus Blue Jackets, which means
the Jackets visit Nashville three times each season. The Jackets will play in Bridgestone Arena in
downtown Nashville again on Feb. 27 and April 8. Visit predators.nhl.com.

LEARNING MORE

For more on things to do and see in Nashville, call 1-800-657-6910 or visit www.visit
musiccity.com.